The Minimalist Guide to Creativity

We’re born with the idea that we’re either creative or we aren’t; that we’re either born with the gift to paint or compose great works of art or we’re not. Deep down you might wish you were more creative, so you could be known as the person who’ll come up with creative solutions to problems in the workplace or in your life. You want to create works from your core that you can be proud of.

The creative gene isn’t something only a few are blessed with, but something that we all possess. Some have just chosen to cultivate it more than others. Think of it as a seed that’s planted in your garde: For you it might just lay dormant, but others have been pouring nutrients and water onto theirs for years. I’ll show you how to nurture this seed in the simplest way possible.

Make room to create

So often, we’re forced to make a decision between the work that pays the bills and the work that allows us room to express ourselves. Often the work that puts a roof over our head takes precedence over the rest, so the goal here is to create a little space in your life to express yourself.

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This could be a practice of waking up 20 minutes earlier so you can write down your thoughts freely in the morning, or if you’re a painter, all it takes is a little more canvas time in your life after work. However you like to spend your time creating, just make a little more time for it. A few extra minutes is all you need to re-awaken this gift.

Engage in the process

After you create a little more space in your life, it’s time to engage fully. When you set aside this haven of extra space, make sure that you don’t fill it with worries of what else you could be doing. Treat this as a sacred time; a time when you are truly free from your obligations.

Once you have your instruments (pen, pencil, canvas, etc.), take a few deep breaths. The only thing you want to do here is engage as fully as possible. Be with the process of creating; watch your brush paint new worlds before your very eyes. Imagine yourself as a great painter creating the next great work.

Any time you find yourself getting pulled away by a rogue thought, just take a deep breath and re-engage.

Don’t judge your final product

We’re often very hard on ourselves when we do anything creative, and stop ourselves from nurturing our gifts before they’ve even pulled out of the driveway. The important thing to keep in mind when engaging your creative muscle is that the process is the important part—the end result does not matter. The more frequently you play in this zone, the stronger you’ll get. Think of it as time spent in the gym: continuous sustained effort is worth more than a sporadic outburst in the long run.

Keep at it, enjoy the process. After a while you’ll be at the level you want to achieve.

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Allow randomness to happen

Without getting too “deep”, remember this is about letting the process take you. In the modern world we play within the realm of our rational mind 90 percent of the time—now we’re surrendering the wheel to our co-pilot.

When you sit down to engage, try not to force anything. Let the process of creation take you over and see where it wants to go. Instead of trying to paint a picture of a sunset, ask your brush where it wants to go, then follow the answer. Some might liken this to doodling, but if you ask the right questions you can engage your creative mind in ways you never thought possible.

This was a short guide into activation your dormant creativity muscle. A quick overview: create a little space in your life, be present, leave the baggage at the door, be with the process and let it guide you.

7 Ways To Deal With Negative People

Some people will have a rain cloud hanging over them, no matter what the weather is outside. Their negative attitude is toxic to your own moods, and you probably feel like there is little you can do about it.

But that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

If you want to effectively deal with negative people and be a champion of positivity, then your best route is to take definite action through some of the steps below.

1. Limit the time you spend with them.

First, let’s get this out of the way. You can be more positive than a cartoon sponge, but even your enthusiasm has a chance of being afflicted by the constant negativity of a friend.

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In fact, negativity has been proven to damage your health physically, making you vulnerable to high levels of stress and even cardiac disease. There’s no reason to get hurt because of someone else’s bad mood.

Though this may be a little tricky depending on your situation, working to spend slightly less time around negative people will keep your own spirits from slipping as well.

2. Speak up for yourself.

Don’t just absorb the comments that you are being bombarded with, especially if they are about you. It’s wise to be quick to listen and slow to speak, but being too quiet can give the person the impression that you are accepting what’s being said.

3. Don’t pretend that their behavior is “OK.”

This is an easy trap to fall into. Point out to the person that their constant negativity isn’t a good thing. We don’t want to do this because it’s far easier to let someone sit in their woes, and we’d rather just stay out of it.

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But if you want the best for this person, avoid giving the false impression that their negativity is normal.

4. Don’t make their problems your problems.

Though I consider empathy a gift, it can be a dangerous thing. When we hear the complaints of a friend or family member, we typically start to take on their burdens with them.

This is a bad habit to get into, especially if this is a person who is almost exclusively negative. These types of people are prone to embellishing and altering a story in order to gain sympathy.

Why else would they be sharing this with you?

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5. Change the subject.

When you suspect that a conversation is starting to take a turn for the negative, be a champion of positivity by changing the subject. Of course, you have to do this without ignoring what the other person said.

Acknowledge their comment, but move the conversation forward before the euphoric pleasure gained from complaining takes hold of either of you.

6. Talk about solutions, not problems.

Sometimes, changing the subject isn’t an option if you want to deal with negative people, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still be positive.

I know that when someone begins dumping complaints on me, I have a hard time knowing exactly what to say. The key is to measure your responses as solution-based.

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You can do this by asking questions like, “Well, how could this be resolved?” or, “How do you think they feel about it?”

Use discernment to find an appropriate response that will help your friend manage their perspectives.

7. Leave them behind.

Sadly, there are times when we have to move on without these friends, especially if you have exhausted your best efforts toward building a positive relationship.

If this person is a family member, you can still have a functioning relationship with them, of course, but you may still have to limit the influence they have over your wellbeing.

That being said, what are some steps you’ve taken to deal with negative people? Let us know in the comments.